NURS 3100 3101: Issues and Trends in Nursing

Discussion – Week 1 NURS 3100 3101: Issues and Trends in Nursing

For this discussion, I chose option one “Describe at least two current and/or future challenges in nursing and the solutions that are being proposed to meet those challenges. Explain how furthering your education will enable you to build upon your personal nursing legacy in meeting these types of challenges”.

The first challenge I want to talk about is shortage of nurses, in most all fields of nursing. I believe this is due to the high nurse to patient ratio, and poor compensation of the nurse for their services rendered. This leads to high turnover rates in hospital, and travel nurses come into the hospital. I worked as a travel nurse and I could see why travelers were needed at the hospitals I worked at. Another challenge related to this is burnout of nurses. I have seen job postings for travel nurses with a 1:8 nurse to patient ratio. This is not safe for any nurse. It is physically and mentally exhausting to work a 12 hour shift on a Med-Surg floor with no nurse’s aide with let alone six patients. Baby boomer nurses are retiring, which is requiring a number of nurses required to work overtime, which also leads to high nurse to patient ratios. NURS 3100 3101: Issues and Trends in Nursing. By doing this, there could be possibly a sentinel event or near miss event. A solution to fix this would be mandating nurse to patient ratios at a safe number, nurse managers making sure they have enough staff for each shift, and possibly give more incentive for nurses to come to said hospital. I would like to get involved with a passing a bill to limit nurse to patient ratios as my legacy and doing so by furthering my education.

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My second challenge is the shortage of physicians. As America’s population ages and demand outpaces supply, a physician shortage will intensify. Americans are living longer and requiring more care later into life, and doctors themselves are aging out of the profession. Older patients use two-to-three times as many medical services than younger patients. The supply of physician assistants and nurse practitioners is predicted to increase, which will be mainly needed in primary care. This is another reason I am continuing my education to become a nurse practitioner.

response

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post and I agree with you on both of your points. The shortage of nurses in all fields of nursing, poor compensation, and high nurse to patient ratios all contribute to nursing mistakes, nursing burnout and high nursing turnover rates in hospitals. This is not safe for neither nurses nor patients. I think a bill mandating safe nurse to patient ratios is an excellent idea and one that could help ensure higher rates of patient safety. Your willingness to get involved to help pass such a bill certainly demonstrates a strong clarity of purpose and contributes to your legacy of making meaningful transformations in the field of nursing (Hegge, M. 2011). NURS 3100 3101: Issues and Trends in Nursing

Your second point regarding the need for more providers is one of the main reasons I am in this program. As you pointed out, our physicians themselves are aging out of the profession. I’ve seen this firsthand as my father, a cardiologist, just recently retired. And, with Americans living longer and needing more medical care, both primary and specialized, the need for physicians and mid-level providers, both physican assistants and nurse practitioners, will be great.

References:

Hegge, M. (2011). The empty carriage: Lessons in leadership from Florence Nightengale. Nursing Science Quarterly, 24 (1), 21-25.

Discussion – Week 2

I selected option 2- “Fitzpatrick (2015) describes how certain characteristics and competencies set nursing and nurses apart from other professions and practitioners. Describe how your nursing practice and ethical decision-making skills have furthered the quality and safety of patient care.”

As discussed in the article, they mentioned getting back to the basics of nursing care. They encouraged the nurse to be more involved with their patient and their families. Working in a locked mental health facility, this can be somewhat tricky. Because my work is a long-term care facility, we get to know our patients pretty well. But it is a different kind of relationship. We don’t share any personal information with our patients. Telling our patients personal information could put our safety and our family’s safety at risk. So, at times it can be difficult finding ways to relate to some patients. We are encouraged by our supervisors to spend as much time out on the unit with the patients as possible. Depending on the unit I am working on, I may not feel safe sitting out there. If this is the case, the nurse and patient interactions may be done in a conference room with additional staff and cameras for safety. This is not always the kind of environment that encourages the patient to be open and forthcoming with personal information. Our involvement with our patient’s families is relatively minimal. The interactions are done mostly over the phone or through emails. Some families participate in quarterly progress reviews, and they are invited to attend these. We need to have a signed release to share any information with families, and unfortunately, when patients are struggling with mental health symptoms, they tend not to want their families involved. With this being the case, we as nurses become their support system, and we are the ones who are encouraging them to progress in treatment. NURS 3100 3101: Issues and Trends in Nursing

The nurse plays a significant role in the coordination of a multidisciplinary team at my work. I am in charge of coordinating the patient’s medical care and referring the patient to their physician when they have medical conditions or concerns. I also refer a patient to be seen by his psychiatrist if the patient may be struggling with symptoms. Nursing takes care of all of the patient’s basic needs. So, the patients frequently seek you out, and you are the one person they may trust. I am happy to see that there is a push to get back to the basic care of nursing because the patients are the ones who suffer when it is not.

Fitzpatrick, M. A. (2015). The essence of nursing: It’s time to put basic nursing care back in the spotlight. American Nurse Today, 10(5). Retrieved from http://www.americannursetoday.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Essence-Supplement_page-2.pdf

Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

For our third discussion, I decided to elaborate on options 2, “Describe the personal contribution a nurse might make in the process of seeking or maintaining Magnet designation.”

One of the significant contributions nurses can make to either seeking or maintaining a magnet designation would be to obtain a higher education or certification. An organization can produce better patient outcomes by supporting professional development, which, in turn, shows nursing excellence. Many organizations support faculty continuing their education through tuition reimbursement (Tinkham, 2013). Organizations will often encourage nurses to continue their education to meet magnet recommendations for the percentage of baccalaureate nurses employed (Laureate, 2009). There is also a clinical ladder system that nurses may receive a financial incentive for continuing their education or obtaining additional certifications (Tinkham 2013). By also encouraging growth, organizations help empower their nurses and promote better care for the patients. The stroke certified nurses I currently work with are a significant asset to our unit and incredible resources for all staff. I often ask our stroke certified nurses about the most recent evidence-based practice methods that we include in our current protocols because they are frequently changing.

An additional contribution to assisting in obtaining or maintaining a magnet certification is to encourage nurses to be involved in decision making. Nurses’ input should be required when constructing and changing policies as it relates to patient care. As nurses, we should also contribute to creating a more “just culture” to facilitate learning and change (Tinkham, 2013). Nurses understand that healthcare changes every day, and without a “just culture” in nursing, patients would be at an increased risk of unreported mistakes. From personal experience, it feels awful to make a mistake when caring for a patient. I currently work for a magnet certified hospital, and I can honestly say that I could feel my mistake was more of a learning opportunity than punishment. We have a program called RL solutions that we can submit any errors in care or equipment malfunctions. It truly is more for preventing future errors than reporting mistakes. From our mistakes, we can see where problems may arise within our current system and contribute to finding solutions. By avoiding mistakes from occurring in the future, we also promote patient safety.

References:

Laureate Education (Producer). (2009b). Issues and trends in nursing: Professional practice models [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Tinkham.M. R. (2013). Pursuing magnet designation: The role of structural empowerment. AORN Journal, 97(2), 253-256.

Week 1: The Power of Nursing: One Nurse at a Time

As a Registered Nurse, you are a member of an honored profession that traces its roots back centuries. You are following in the footsteps of distinguished historical nursing figures such as Florence Nightingale, Lillian Wald, Mary Ezra Mahoney, Juan Ciudad, Mary Breckinridge, and Walt Whitman. Each applied professional skill sets to the specific demands of their time. Each left a legacy upon which the nursing profession has built a standard of care. Distinguished contemporary leaders are forging ahead with their legacies.

But times are constantly changing. Now it’s time to start building on the individual expertise and knowledge that you bring to Walden. The time has come for you to build your own legacy. Discover your passion, develop your leadership potential, and prepare yourself to make a difference in the lives of those affected by your nursing expertise.

Building your own professional legacy will not be without challenges. Registered Nurses (RNs) comprise the largest health care occupation in the U.S., yet the demand for RNs exceeds supply. The nursing shortage continues to expand, fueled by increases in population rates, greater longevity, and technological advances in health care. The nursing shortage is exacerbated by other factors, including the number of nurses aging out of the workforce and dissatisfied nurses leaving the profession prematurely. Additionally, the workplace is evolving in critical ways that increase the time required of existing nurses, including factors such as evidence-based practice, emphasis on quality and safety, and technology requirements, to name a few.

You have chosen to prepare yourself today for the challenges of tomorrow, and we are here for you. When you leave the classroom, you will take with you enhanced professional expertise and insights for your patients, their care, and the health care industry as a whole. When you graduate, you will be prepared to meet the specific demands you will face tomorrow; the demands of YOUR time. Welcome! Walden is glad you chose us as the place where you want to learn. Your legacy has begun.

Grossman and Valiga, in their book The New Leadership Challenge: Creating the Future of Nursing (2009), sum up leadership and the pursuit of excellence in nursing with these words of advice, quoted from Claude T. Bissell, Canadian author and educator, and the University of Toronto’s eighth president.

Care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, and expect more than others think is possible. (Grossman & Valiga, p. 191)

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Analyze challenges and solutions related to nursing
Evaluate the role of advanced education as it relates to developing a personal nursing legacy
Analyze the impact of nurses on patients, peers, and superiors
Analyze the role of leadership in the field of nursing
Develop a technology plan for use in an online classroom
Reflect on personal and professional strengths and needs

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Heege, M. (2011). The empty carriage: Lessons in leadership from Florence Nightingale. Nursing Science Quarterly, 24(1), 21–25.

Hinds, P. S., Britton, D., Coleman, L., Engh, E., Humbel, T. K., Keller, S., … Walczak, D. (2015). Creating a career legacy map to help assure meaningful work in nursing. Nursing Outlook, 63(2), 211–218.

Document: Week 1 Assignment 1 Form (Word document)

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2009a). Issues and trends in nursing: Introduction [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 3 minutes.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2009d). Welcome to the BSN program at Walden University. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014). Creating a Technology Backup Plan [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 6 minutes.

Walden University. (2020a). Section 1: Experience as an online student [Video]. In Online student roundtable discussion. Walden University Blackboard. https://class.waldenu.edu

Writing Resources and Program Success Tools

Document: Academic Writing Expectations (AWE) Checklist, Weeks 1–3 (Word document)

This checklist will help you self-assess your writing to see if it meets academic writing standards for this course.

Document: Discussion Post Tips: Weeks 1–3 (PDF)

Walden University. (n.d.-e). Common course assignments: Discussion posts. Retrieved September 22, 2015, from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/discussionpost

Walden University. (n.d.-h). Paragraphs: Overview. Retrieved September 22, 2015, from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/paragraphs

Walden University. (n.d.-o). Using evidence: Overview. Retrieved September 22, 2015, from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/evidence

Optional Resources

Document: Discussion Checklist (PDF)
Use this one-page checklist to prepare, write, and respond to your weekly discussions.

Document: Assignment Checklist (PDF)
Use this one-page checklist to prepare, write, and review feedback for your weekly assignments.

Discussion: Creating Your Personal Nursing Legacy

Many nurses throughout history have left long and distinguished legacies of excellence in a variety of ways. What impact might you have on the patients with whom you come into contact every day?

The past and current challenges to nursing and health care have been and are being met by exemplary nurse leaders. Each has exhibited or is exhibiting enhanced focus and ideation, enriched values, purpose, and grit! The successful nurse leader must prepare to be an effective thinker, communicator, motivator, and champion of personalized health care.

Nurses have built and will continue to build upon a rich legacy of innovations and commitment to meet issues of nursing and health care. Florence Nightingale, for example, was highly educated, focused on a path of lifelong discovery, and dedicated to knowledge and science in the service of others. Her legacy made us a better society.

Your individual nursing legacy is an integral part of the legacy of nursing as a whole. Think about how you want to be remembered at the end of your nursing career. Envision what you want to leave to the profession in the areas of practice, education, and research. Make a conscious decision to plan deliberately what your legacy will be, rather than just letting it happen. Review the Learning Resources and write at least 350 words addressing one of the following Discussion topics.

In this Discussion, you have the opportunity to begin considering your own personal nursing legacy.

To prepare

Review the Discussion Post Tips Document in the Writing Resources and Program Success Tools for this week. Your initial post must be 2 paragraphs and at least 350 words.
Review the Laureate Education video titled Issues and Trends in Nursing: Introduction (2009a) provided in this week’s Learning Resources.
Explore this week’s Writing Resources and Program Success Tools, specifically:
- Academic Writing Expectations (AWE) Checklist, Weeks 1–3
- “Common Course Assignments: Discussion Posts” (Walden University, n.d.-e)
- “Paragraphs: Overview” (Walden University, n.d.-h)
- “Using Evidence: Overview” (Walden University, n.d.-o)
Review the following articles, provided in this week’s Learning Resources:
- “The Empty Carriage: Lessons in Leadership From Florence Nightingale” (Heege, 2011)
- “Creating a Career Legacy Map to Help Assure Meaningful Work in Nursing” (Hinds et al., 2015)

By Day 3

Post a 2-paragraph response (of at least 350 words) to one of the options below. Develop and post cohesive paragraphs and use evidence to support your ideas.

Option 1

Describe at least two current and/or future challenges in nursing and the solutions that are being proposed to meet those challenges. Explain how furthering your education will enable you to build upon your personal nursing legacy in meeting these types of challenges.

Option 2

Describe a nurse colleague or current nurse leader who inspires you. Identify and describe how this person’s actions have led to positive outcomes related to patients, peers, and/or supervisors. What do you see yourself doing similarly or differently?

By Day 7

Read and respond to two or more of your colleagues’ postings by sharing how you would change what you wrote based upon what you read in other posts. Also consider providing a supporting statement about each colleague’s vision for his/her personal nursing legacy based on at least one of this week’s Learning Resources. Ask a clarifying question about each colleague’s vision for his/her personal nursing legacy.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

Post a discussion entry on 3 different days of the week. Refer to the Week 1 Discussion Rubric found in the Course Information area, located in the top left area of the course or access the link below.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 1 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 7

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 1 Discussion

Assignment 1: Technology Contingency Plan

Learning online will put you into contact with a number of new technologies. Some of the tools that you will use will be easy to understand and even fun to engage with, but you may also encounter technology that you find frustrating. Technology can and does enhance learning, and technology also can cause many distractions. In this Assignment, you will view the Creating a Technology Backup Plan media located in this week’s Learning Resources and complete the Technology Contingency Plan worksheet.

To prepare

View the Creating a Technology Backup Plan video (Laureate Education, 2014), provided in this week’s Learning Resources.
View the Assignment 1 Rubric to guide you in completing your Assignment.
Access the Technology Contingency Plan worksheet in this week’s resources.

Assignment Directions

Complete the Technology Contingency Plan worksheet.